Wednesday, December 27, 2006

I wish I could find a picture online of the Whiskey Bottle Tombstone of Clayton, Alabama.

The bottle-shaped headstone and footstone, which mark the final resting place of William T. Mullen (1834 -1863), still contains their original removable stone stoppers. Such a memorial obviously tells a story and the story behind the stone goes something like this: Mr. Mullen, a local accountant, acquired a reputation as a heavy drinker. His wife, Mary, a devout teetotaler, threatened that if he drank himself to death, she would let the world know by erecting an appropriate memorial. The Whiskey Bottle Tombstone testifies that she kept her promise. [Link]